Taking the Nats Express

Last night was going to be my test of getting to the ballpark by the Clarendon-Capitol South Metro route. At the very least, I would ride in from Clarendon and head to the Navy Yard Metro stop.

But the idea of spending 40 minutes after the game sitting on a train, unable to listen to Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler break down the Nats' certain victory just seemed too big a sacrifice to make. So I climbed into the ole gas guzzler and headed to RFK. Free parking in D.C. is too enticing, too exciting and too rare to pass up. And my carbon footprint probably didn't hit Bigfoot levels, as I have to drive home after the game regardless of my route to the stadium. My total time from Clarendon to Lot 7 was an amazing 22 minutes.

The Nats handled Lot 7 well. For the uninitiated who need to know for the four or five remaining games that conflict with D.C. United matches -- just make your way to C and 21st streets, NE, turn left onto Oklahoma Avenue and the "Nats Express" signs will get you where you need to go. Once there, you'll find tailgaters sprawled all over the lot and countless Nats employees ensuring you make your way onto a shuttle bus. (By "countless," I mean I stopped counting when I got to 20.)

The bus had to navigate from Benning Road down to the new stadium, which probably added five minutes. Total time from boarding the bus to exiting onto 3rd and M? Sixteen minutes. At rush hour (5:50 p.m.), as D.C. United and the Wizards were luring more sports fans downtown. I found that encouraging.

With the onset of mild disgust at the Nats' performance, I left the ballpark after seven innings. The RFK Express took fewer than 10 minutes to get me back to my car. Sadly, Charlie Slowes wasn't describing a victory. But I was on the road before 9:35 p.m., and there was some consolation in that.